The Great Bathroom Wars

As a nation, we are in the middle of a contentious election year with many important issues being debated (or Tweeted about). What to do about immigration. Where do we as a country stand on abortion rights. The future of accessible healthcare. The need to protect ourselves from radicals bent on doing us harm (both the international and domestic varieties). Racism. Poverty. The fate of the Supreme Court. All important issues. And then, of course, the one issue that seems to have many of us transfixed: what bathroom should we be using.

As a general rule of thumb, I try to get in and out of any public restroom as fast as humanly possible. Therefore it is my personal feeling that whoever is peeing next to me (and what gender they were assigned at birth) is of little or no interest. Not sure what goes on in a men’s room, but, in my experience, no one in a ladies room is paying attention to anyone else’s genitals. (Now that is a word I never thought that I would use in a Blog posting.)

Maybe gender-neutral bathrooms are the wave of the future. And if that is the case, what would a gender-neutral sign look like. As a graphic artist (and as user of public restrooms), these are the type of things I contemplate. (The few gender-neutral signs that I have seen with a male figure, a female figure and a person in a wheelchair are just confusing and seem to imply that you need to bring a gathering with you upon entering). Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks about these things. The Washington Post asked eight graphic artists for their ideas on gender-neutral signage. Not sure if any of the suggested options are winners, but at least it starts a dialogue. And dialogue is always a good thing—except in a public bathroom when I am trying to get out as fast as humanly possible.